Friday, October 17, 2003 SEATTLE — The spotted owl is one of the most studied, protected animals in U.S. history but despite efforts to halt the logging of their natural habitat, scientists say its recovery is endangered and it may become extinct for completely natural reasons. Protective efforts for the owls led to timber industry wars in the 1980s and the walling off of millions of acres of forest to loggers — but the spotted owl is being replaced by a heartier feathered foe — the barred owl. "Natural systems are pretty unpredictable,” Eric Forsman, a U.S. forest service biologist, said. “When you set about trying to manage a particular species there are lots of things that can happen that are unplanned." Author Ron Arnold said this discovery vindicates the loggers who claimed all along the owls' precarious position wasn’t their problem. “What's happening is a natural process,” he said. "You can't turn nature into a museum even though environmentalists try. But I think they should be very apologetic and do some reparations — put the loggers back. “Studies show more than 22,000 logging jobs vanished because of the battle to save the spotted owl, devastating small mill towns throughout the Northwest. They're jobs that despite this new research are likely gone forever as environmental groups refuse to give an inch." The Audubon Society wants all old-growth logging banned and more tree-cutting restrictions on private land, if too late for the spotted owl then for the rest of the forest’s animals. Critics say it’s time for better balance between man and nature. "If we give up now and we take the argument that they're declining, let's give up, let's just log it all anyway,” said Alex Morgan of the Audubon Society. “I think it's definitely a cop out but it's also inexcusable." But industry experts say a second timber war is unlikely because wood is increasingly being imported from countries with cheap labor and less environmental protections — the types of protections that activists promised would save the spotted owl. The Fox News report, Spotted Owls Endangered by Logging or Nature? is a good example of how the Center keeps its media profile high. Here is the inside story behind the story.
Fox News reporter Dan Springer sensed a news story when reports emerged that it was not loggers that were reducing the Northern Spotted Owl population in the Pacific Northwest, but the barred owl invading the spotted owl's territory. Dan got out his Rolodex and went to work. Among the key people he called was the Center's Ron Arnold, who Dan knew to have long experience in the issue. Like all good reporters, Dan does not give out interview questions in advance - just a basic outline of what the story is about. He counts on direct and probing enquiry to produce fresh and spontaneous comment. Dan Springer and his veteran news crew took a look at the Center's woodland setting in Bellevue, Washington, and decided to shoot outside. With good reason: The Center's office sits amidst a dozen 80-foot Douglas fir trees that are carefully protected in their Liberty Park complex.
Photos by executive assistant Tiffany Lindsey. |
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Spotted Owls Endangered by Logging or Nature?
The Story Behind the Story
